The international jury of the GAIFF Pro, the industry event of Armenia’s Golden Apricot IFF, consisted of industry experts Alec Von Bargen, Alessandro Raja and Eleni Chandrinou. They evaluated 17 feature-length projects, with 12 in development and 5 in post-production. Two emerged victorious ex-aequo. The first is The Sickness of Yerevan (Armenia), by director Ovsanna Gevorgyan and producer Vardan Hakobyan, which centres on a woman in her mid-30s who suffers from an illness whose symptoms intensify while she is in Armenia and subside when she moves abroad. The jury explained its choice by highlighting “the deep, personal and mature journey the project bestows. The well-documented symptoms of a genetic condition such as Yerevanyan’s, expertly aid in creating physical, mental and historical layers, both literal and metaphorical, to an already moving story: a woman’s forced return to an unfamiliar homeland and the suffocating consequences of having to face her own identity”. The other winner was Wolfgang (Iran, France, Switzerland), currently in post-production, by director Saleh Kashefi and producer Thomas Jacquey. This hybrid project, defined by the director as an “audiovisual opera of exiles, madness, and queer desire”, was selected for the “visionary bravado with which Saleh goes against the grain, diving headfirst into an experimental playing field which he undoubtedly dominates. Hidden within a universe of aesthetics, sound and risky choices, lies an extremely profound and measured social and political critique (and a brilliant telling of an unknown side to Mozart’s human character). The director, with cunning ability, lifts a colourful mirror, forcing us to face our own troubled reflection.” Each award comes with the sum of $2500 USD, funded by GAIFF and the event’s partners. 

Four more projects were given a Special Mention and award in the form of mentorship support from the GAIFF Pro platform.

UXXR – Is There Sex After the USSR? (Armenia) by director Lillit Movsisyan and producer Sona Margaryan will focus on sexual health, gender roles and reproductive rights in countries from the post-Soviet bloc. The project is currently in development. American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia) by director Amir El-Shenawy and producer Ahmed Abdelsalam, currently in post-production, focuses on the life of wrestler and entertainer Captain Kabonga as he faces challenges caused by COVID and the economic downturn in Egypt. Both projects are documentaries.

There were two additional Development Special Mentions given out to fiction films. In the Coffee Ground (Brazil, Argentina, Armenia), co-directed and co-produced by Sofia Sahakian and Luiza Calagian, will focus on two female friends from the Armenian diaspora in Argentina, who travel to their home country for the first time. The second project is Process (Armenia), presented by director Sona Khachatryan and produced by Artyom Baghdasaryan, which revolves around a radio station worker in his 20s, who wants to renew his mother’s medical support and is tormented by the bureaucratic system.

Short films projects in the dedicated program Short Cuts Nest were also awarded by the jury made of Marco Müller, Elad Samorzik and Daniel Kötter. The Window (Armenia) by director Vahan Grigoryan and producer Mariam Safaryan was named Best Short Film Project, and the Mentorship Award went to Ara Is Leaving (Armenia, France) by director Alexis Pazoumian and producer Astrig Chandèze-Avakian.

The 2025 edition of GAIFF Pro was deemed successful with an over-20% increase in the number of Project Market applications. “In past editions, we focused on teams of writer-director-producer and film critics, providing them with tailored masterclasses and specialised events to connect them with decision-makers. This year–understanding that to boost the regional film industries, we need to broaden our focus and incorporate opportunities for other specialisations as well–in addition to the Co-production Market, we also added a specialised separate programme for actors and cinematographers", says Nare Leone Ter-Gabrielyan, head of the GAIFF Pro Industry Platform. The event unspooled between 14-19 July. 

Full List of the winning Projects Presented during GAIFF Pro:

Grand Prix

The Sickness of Yerevan (Armenia)
Director, producer: Ovsanna Gevoryan  

Wolfgang
Director: Saleh Kashefi (France, Switzerland, Iran)
Producer: Saleh Kashefi, Thomas Jacquey  

Special Jury Mention

In the Coffee Grounds (Brasil, Argentina, Armenia)
Director: Sofia Sahakian, Luiza Calagian
Producer: Sofia Sahakian, Luiza Calagian 

Process
Director: Sona Khachatryan
Producer: Artyom Baghdasaryan (Armenia)

Best Short Film Project
The Window (Armenia)
Director: Vahan Grigoryan
Producer Mariam Safaryan

Mentorship Award
Ara Is Leaving (Armenia, France)
Director: Alexis Pazoumian
Producer Astrig Chandèze-Avakian

Special Jury Mention
UXXR: Is There Sex After the USSR?
Director: Lilit Movsisyan
Producer: Sona Margaryan (Armenia)

Post-Production Special Mention
American Dream: the Return of Captain Kabonga
Director: Amir El-Shenawy
Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam (Egypt, Saudi Arabia)